Hi Reader,

Sheesh, I have not been doing a great job of keeping up with these newsletters. Sending my weekly emails is honestly one of my favorite parts of my job, but traveling with my 2-year-old has presented some challenges for managing my workload 🤪.

With that said, we've really slowed down since I last wrote, and we are finally starting to get into a daily routine that feels sustainable.

Below I'm going to dive into what we've been up to, but first I have some important announcements to share!

Truck Camper Tour is Live!

I just posted a 60-second video walk-through of my new Rossmonster Baja LX on Instagram. I would love for you to check it out.

Prefer Facebook? Here it is on my Facebook page.

In a time when Google and AI are decimating blog traffic, social media is becoming a lot more important for my business's ongoing success. I won't go into how the Instagram/FB algorithm works, but early engagement helps signal to Meta that my video is worth watching. If you enjoy the tour, please consider sharing, liking, and leaving a comment to help the video reach more people on social media. Thank you for the support 🫶

Bearfoot Theory Annual Reader Survey

I want to hear from you! I've put together a short survey to learn more about what outdoor content you find most helpful, how you like to learn, and how Bearfoot Theory has impacted your adventures. Your feedback will help me create better resources and prioritize what to write and post about. It only takes a few minutes, and I’d really appreciate your input!

Everyone who fills it out will be entered to win a $50 REI Card OR a $50 donation to an environmental non-profit of your choice. Winner chooses :)

Want to know more about me?

I realized that many of you have been following me for a long time but probably aren't aware of my full story. I put together a fun Instagram post sharing how I went from Chemistry Major to working in Washington DC to full-time outdoor blogger.

Phoenix Highlights

Ok now for what we've been up to...We came up to Phoenix for a couple of reasons. 1) We wanted to get an onboard air compressor installed on our truck and 2) we had some packages to pick up.

We've stayed here a lot longer than I anticipated, with the warm weather playing a big role. It's finally been nice enough to eat breakfast and dinner outside, and the longer we can keep Herbie outdoors the better.

Camping

We've mostly stayed at Lost Dutchman State Park on the east side of Phoenix near the Superstition Mountains. We didn't plan ahead, so we've had to shuffle around a lot from one campsite to the next based on availability. Luckily it's not too much of a hassle for us to move, and there are trails within walking distance from the campground. Plus Herbie can cruise all around on his Strider, the views are really nice, and it's still fairly close to Phoenix.

Phoenix is HUGE by the way. I had no idea, but it literally takes 1.5 hours to drive from one end to the other without traffic. For this reason, we also stayed at a couple of Harvest Host properties right in town.

Harvest Host offers free overnight parking at farms, breweries, wineries, museums and other places, and its a great option if you don't want to deal with stealth camping or you're somewhere without a lot of public lands.

If you want to join Harvest Hosts, you can get 15% off your annual membership using my affiliate link and the code "HHFRIENDS" at checkout.

Things to Do

• Hiking: Our favorite hike has been up Siphon Draw in Lost Dutchman State Park. You can hike all the way up to the top of Flat Iron Peak. We unfortunately didn't prepare for that big of a hike so we turned around halfway, but everyone we talked to said it's the best hike in Phoenix.
• Scenic Drive: One day we drove out to Canyon Lake. The road was really curvy, but the scenery was really pretty and once you get there, you can hang out on the lake or hike up the Boulder Canyon Trail for great views of the Superstition Mountains.
• Children's Museum: This won't apply to all of you, but we loved the Phoenix Children's Museum. We went for Herbie's second birthday, and they had so many cool, interactive things for him to do.
• Dining: You may know that I'm fully plant-based, so I love scoping out vegan-friendly spots in new cities, and Phoenix has a great vegan scene. Do not miss spots include Green New American, Earth Plant Based Cusine (amazing tacos), and Goji Berry (excellent sandwiches and pastries).

We have yet to go up Gold Canyon but that's on our agenda this week. Got other suggestions for us? Please reply to this email and send them my way.

Ok, that's all I got this week.

As always, don't forget to check out the blog. I've got over 400 blog posts on there packed full of tips for getting out there and enjoying the outdoors. I've also got a new homepage, which I think looks pretty great.

Thanks!

P.S. Reader, if you enjoy my content and find it helpful, you can support my work here.

Reminder: As an email subscriber, you get free access to the BFT Member Resource Library which includes downloadable packing lists, trip itineraries, and more. Use the password bftoutdoors for access!

Let's connect!

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